A Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mohammed Yakubu has observed that Kogi State is now the poverty and violence capital of Nigeria due to circumstances beyond the control of well meaning people of the state.
Yakubu added that the Kogi under Governor Yahaya Bello has also become the capital of thuggery and den of kidnappers against the desire of its founding fathers and responsible citizens of the Confluence State.
The former Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU Zaria while addressing journalists shortly after obtaining this expression of interest and nomination forms at the APC National Secretariat, Abuja said the incumbent Governor, Bello has grossly underperformed and should be given second term ticket.
Yakubu said if nominated by the party and elected by Kogi electorate he would replicate the giant stride he recorded in ABU in the state which was hitherto a shining star in northern Nigeria and economic hub of the country.
While recounting his experience, he said, “I have been a journalist all my life. I tried to do other things like intervention in some areas. That led me in 2005 to become the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and I held that position for two and half years. The record I left behind is still speaking for me. We were able to transform the University and restored its past glory.
“ABU at that time had some problems of backlog of promotion of Professors, backlog of salaries arrears that were not paid, some Professors had packed their luggage to leave the University. I put smiles on their faces, we cleared the salary arrears, we cleared backlog of promotions and ABU the largest University in Africa became what it was known for, Citadel of Academic excellence.
“l think that I can also take this little thing I have done in ABU to improve the lives of my own people in Kogi State and transform that State to the level that we all desire. Kogi State I used to say was the brain basket of Northern Nigeria, almost all the institutions that we have in Northern Nigeria were manned by people from Kogi State, a State known for academic excellence.
“But today due to some circumstances beyond the control of the rest of us, Kogi has become like the poverty capital of Nigeria, have become the capital of violence and become the capital of thuggery, has become the capital of kidnappers and this is not the Kogi state that we desire.
“The Kogi state that we desire when Kogi was created in 1991 was a place that will be a place of harmony, a place of excellence that we bring all the ethnic groups together as a family and will aspire to be a hub of economic development because the strategic location of Kogi make it an economic hub.
“Other governors call us to tap our brains so that whatever they do for their people will be people oriented. Why can’t I offer that kind of service to my state? The connection that this profession offers you makes it possible for me to reach any level of resources and tap those resources for the benefit of your people.
“Ordinarily, our governor deserves a second term but that depends on performance and the perception of the people. I am not sure because he has underperformed is his fault. I think you can only perform within the limit of your capacity. So you cannot hold him responsible for not performing well but you can hold your people responsible for allowing a bad driver crash your car. The fault is not with the driver but the person who is giving the car to the driver.
“Some of us have to come to a place prepared. If you come to a place not prepared to serve, you have no idea of what you have come to do, really you can’t perform and that is the bane of our leadership. The election process is faulty. You don’t look at people’s background before we give them jobs, money does not mean the capacity and capability to govern. Money does not automatically confer the wisdom of King Solomon so experience is not what you go to the Supermarket to buy no matter how rich you are”.
James Kwen, Abuja
